Published July 07, 2025 by The Ripple
LASAM, Cagayan – The Cagayan State University (CSU) – Lasam Campus formally conferred degrees and titles upon 167 graduating students, including two students who received their diplomas in Foods Technology, during its 47th Academic Convocation held at the Natalged A Lasam Arena (NALA) on July 7, 2025.
Professor Florante Victor M. Balatico, PhD, Campus Executive Officer (CEO) of CSU-Lasam, officially presented the candidates from the College of Industrial Technology (CIT), College of Teacher Education (CTEd), and College of Information and Computing Sciences (CICS).
In his address, Dr. Arthur G. Ibañez, ASEAN Engr., Officer-In-Charge of the Office of the University President, encouraged the graduates to see challenges not as setbacks but as invitations to create, innovate, and persevere.
"As you step boldly into the future, remember that resilience and inventiveness—alongside the essential interpersonal skills of our era—will be your most valuable allies. Embrace every obstacle as an opportunity to create something new and better. Let your creativity and determination be the forces that transform setbacks into breakthroughs," Dr. Ibañez stated.
Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis, Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), extended her warmest congratulations to the Graduating Class of CSU Lasam during its 47th Commencement Exercises, urging them to lead with integrity, humility, and a sense of duty to the communities that invested in them.
"What this country needs are graduates who choose to lead with integrity, humility, and a sense of duty to the communities that shaped them," Dr. Agrupis emphasized.
Carrying the voice of the graduating class, Christian Joseph Laderas, a Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in English graduate and class valedictorian, delivered a message that stirred the hearts of many.
"Kapag pakiramdam mo'y bigo ka na at parang wala kang silbi... alalahanin mong hindi pa ito ang katapusan ng kwento mo; may mas maganda pang ilalaan ang Diyos sa iyo. Sa gitna ng pagkadapa, hawakan mong mahigpit ang pag-asa, dahil ang plano Niya ay laging mas mataas kaysa sa ating pang-unawa," he shared.
Laderas reminded his fellow graduates that while the path ahead may be uncertain, it is not without purpose:
"Nakakatakot ang future, but we’ll do it scared until we make it confidently. Remind yourself na hindi ka kulang, hindi ka kulelat, hindi ka napag-iwanan, hindi ka talunan—may plano ang Diyos."
As the 47th Academic Convocation concluded, the 167 graduates of CSU Lasam emerge, not only as professionals, but as torchbearers of the nation that has invested in its future.